This page is written for you rather than for the child. The test itself is the same one adults take — what changes is how you read the result and how long you let them sit at it.
Children's typing speeds vary enormously and the spread within any year group is far wider than the difference between year groups. These are orientation figures, not targets, and a child below them is not behind.
| Age | Typical WPM | What matters at this stage |
|---|---|---|
| 6–8 | 5–15 | Finding keys; letter recognition. Speed is irrelevant |
| 9–11 | 15–25 | Home row habit forming; stopping the downward glance |
| 12–14 | 25–40 | Touch typing becomes usable for schoolwork |
| 15–18 | 35–55 | Approaching adult range; accuracy is the differentiator |
The one figure worth attending to is accuracy. A child at 15 WPM and 97% is on a much better trajectory than one at 25 WPM and 85%, because the second is rehearsing errors and will have to unlearn them.
Much less than you would guess. Ten minutes is plenty for a primary-age child and fifteen is generous for a teenager. Typing practice is repetitive by nature, and a bored child at a keyboard is not building a motor habit — they are building a resentment.
A full-size keyboard is proportionally much larger for a child, and the standard eight-finger home row position can be a genuine stretch before about age eight. Below that, expect and allow a modified position — insisting on the adult finger map too early causes hand tension and puts children off entirely.
A laptop keyboard is usually a better fit than a full desktop board with a number pad, because the reach to the centre of the board is shorter. If a child's wrists are bending upward to reach the keys, the keyboard is too high rather than the child too small.
It is free, and there is no paid tier to be upsold to. An account is optional. There is no chat, no direct messaging, no public profile and no way for one user to contact another, so the usual supervision concerns around children's sites do not apply here.
Advertising never appears inside the typing area — that is enforced in the code rather than promised in a policy. There are reserved ad slots elsewhere on the site.
What it is not is a game. There are no cartoon characters, no points-for-nothing, and no reward loop designed to keep a child at the screen. For some children that is exactly right and for others a game-based tutor will hold their attention better; it is worth being honest that this one is built like an instrument rather than a toy.
Around seven or eight is when most children can reach the home row comfortably and follow a structured lesson. Earlier than that, informal keyboard familiarity is more useful than formal touch-typing instruction.
It varies widely. Roughly 5–15 WPM at ages 6–8, 15–25 at 9–11, and 25–40 by early secondary school. Accuracy is a far better indicator of progress than speed at every one of those ages.
There is no chat, no messaging, no public profile and no user-to-user contact of any kind. An account is optional, and advertising is structurally prevented from appearing in the typing area. Our privacy policy sets out exactly what is stored.
Ten minutes for primary-age children and fifteen to twenty for teenagers, most days. Short and frequent works considerably better than long and occasional, and ending while they are still doing well matters more than finishing a set.
Yes. All 185 lessons are free with no per-seat licence, and it works offline once loaded, which suits school networks. Write to schools@typepace.com if you need anything specific.